Do I Make You Proud, Mommy?
by Tortured Artist
Summary: Michelle felt depressed over the loss of her parents, but thanks to swimming lessons with Abigail, she will learn that to move on, a little perseverance is sometimes all it takes.


Do I Make You Proud, Mommy?

The sunlight descended upon the two graves as if it was a light from heaven. The graves themselves were marked by two pieces of crudely carved wood, misshapen and bent in places. These two pieces of wood was all that remained to remind Michelle of her parents.

Michelle ran a hand along the wood. The rough texture brought little comfort to Michelle who just sat there on the forest floor in silence. Her stern expression was sad, revealing a pain that only comes with a child loosing her parents only a week ago.

Standing behind her was Cornelius who stared at Michelle at a loss as to what to say to comfort her.

"Come, Michelle, lets go home," said Cornelius, hoping to break the oppressive quiet.

"Okay, Uncle Cornelius," said Michelle. She stood up and took her uncle by his hand. She said nothing else as she was led back home.

#

Back at Cornelius's home, it was not until a little later did a visitor come to liven the mood. It was Abigail, barging into the house with a makeshift hockey stick in her hand.

"Hey Michelle, want to play?"

Michelle sat in the corner, mutely playing with her dolls. When Abigail barged in, Michelle gave her a friendly smile and a "hello," but the greeting did not seem the same for Abigail.

_She used to have such a cute twinkle in her eyes when she smiled,_ thought Abigail. _Her smile hasn't been the same since her parents died._

Cornelius walked into the room carrying a large box. "Oh Abigail, I wasn't expecting you over."

"I was just coming over to ask Michelle if she wanted to play."

"Well, since you're here, do you think you could help me with something?" Cornelius set the box down. "We have a lot of old cloths that we don't need anymore. I was wondering if you knew anyone that might need these."

"Sure. With Russell's huge family, I'm bound to find someone."

Cornelius set the box down and began emptying it out onto the table. The cloths were mostly old dresses and suits and Michelle's old baby cloths. Abigail did not ask about them, but she assumed that some of them belonged to Michelle's parents. However, what caught her eye was a little, pink girls swimsuit, just the right size for Michelle.

"That's odd," said Abigail, holding up the swimsuit. "I've never seen Michelle wear this."

"Oh yes, her mother was trying to teach Michelle how to swim before the...accident." Cornelius said the word _accident_ with a forlorn voice as if he was bringing up a subject he did not like to discuss.

"I didn't know you couldn't swim," said Abigail to Michelle who still played with her dolls in the corner.

"I can a little, but I'm not strong enough. When I'm in deep water, I have troubles keeping my head above the water."

"Yes," said Cornelius in that same forlorn voice, "and with her mother gone, she didn't want to swim anymore."

"Why don't you teach her, Cornelius?"

"I would have, but my sister was a better swimmer than I am." Cornelius cracked his back loudly. "And she was in better shape, too."

Abigail examined the swimsuit she held in her hand and an idea struck her. "Then I'll teach her."

Michelle perked up in surprise. "You'll teach me, Abigail?"

Abigail ran up to Michelle, carrying the swimsuit. She knelt over Michelle with a big smile on her face. "Of course I will. I'm a very good swimmer. I can teach you everything I know."

"I don't know..." said Michelle, looking at the floor in uncertainty.

"Come on, Michelle. I'm sure your mom would be sad to know that your lessons were left incomplete."

Michelle looked up at Abigail and smiled, the same half-hearted smile she gave Abigail when she came in. "Okay, Abigail, you can teach me."

Abigail turned to Cornelius. "Is it okay with you?"

"Of course," said Cornelius.

"Great. I'll go get my swimsuit and I'll meet you two at the pond." Abigail ran toward the door.

Before she opened the front door, Cornelius said, "And Abigail," Abigail turned to Cornelius, "thank you for doing this."

With a smile and a wave, Abigail left the home, eager to begin the lesson.

It was not long before Michelle and Cornelius caught up to Abigail at the pond. The pond itself was fairly small, but to a furling, it stretched out like a lake in all directions. Its water was cool and clean. Since it was still mid spring, the pond had no other swimmers so it remained undisturbed and clear without a single animal to murk it up by kicking up silt.

Abigail and Michelle changed into their swimsuits from within a bush, and emerged with Abigail dressed in an olive green swimsuit and Michelle in her pink swimsuit. After Abigail instructed Michelle on a few stretching exercises as well as a rundown on the day's lessons, the two ran into the pond.

Michelle shivered when she entered the water. "Burr, it's cold."

"Get in deeper, your body will adjust," said Abigail as she traversed deeper into the pond.

Following Abigail's example, Michelle braved the chilly waters, wading deeper and deeper until she was up to her neck. Slowly, her teeth stopped chattering as she adjusted to the cold temperature.

"Are you okay over there?" asked Abigail who was further into the pond and also submerged up to her neck.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Michelle in a nervous voice.

"Are you ready to go in deeper?"

Michelle hesitated to answer. She looked at Cornelius who sat on a rock on the shore, watching the two girls. For a fleeting moment, Michelle wanted to get out of the water and go home rather that venture out into the deep end. But then Abigail appeared by her side having walked up to her as she was contemplating bailing.

Abigail scooped up Michelle into her arms. She smiled and said, "Don't worry, Michelle. You're safe with me." And with that, Abigail carried Michelle into deeper water.

They waded in the water until they were up to their shoulders. Michelle clung to Abigail's neck, too afraid to let go.

"Relax," said Abigail. "Remember what I told you? Just kick your legs as soon as I let go."

"Okay." Michelle looked at the water, still uncertain. She tensed up as she felt Abigail release her grip on her. Michelle let out a small cry as her head fell under the water. She frantically started kicking her legs, trying desperately to remain buoyant.

Abigail gently lifted Michelle by her arms. "You're doing great. Just keep kicking."

Slowly, Michelle rose to the surface, water splashing around as her legs kicked to keep her afloat. She kept her face above the surface, trying not to swallow any of the water.

"That's it, Michelle, you're doing great," said Abigail. "Just keep kicking."

However, it was not long before Michelle grew tired and stopped kicking. As Michelle sank, Abigail picked up Michelle into her arms. Michelle gasped for air, clinging to Abigail.

"I can't...do it..." said Michelle in-between gasps.

"Of course you can. You just need to build up your muscles a bit more. Come on, start kicking some more. I know you can go on longer."

Reluctantly, Michelle began kicking her legs again. She kicked and kicked, struggling to keep her head above the water. Despite her exhaustion, she slowly began to rise to the surface. Water splashed everywhere as her feet breached the surface with each kick. But then finally, Michelle's legs gave out again. Michelle climbed back into Abigail's arms, her legs burning in exhaustion.

"You're doing very well, Michelle."

"I'm tired."

"Well, how about a little break." Abigail carried Michelle back to the shore. Once she set Michelle down, she walked back toward the deeper end of the pond.

"Aren't you coming with us?" asked Michelle.

"I think I'll go for a swim myself," said Abigail. With that, she leaped into the water and swam away.

Michelle walked toward her uncle, occasionally looking back to watch Abigail already reach one end of the pond, then turning around and swimming back. Even when she sat down with Cornelius, she kept watch on Abigail, however her eyes would often drift to the right as her thoughts were distracted by something else.

Cornelius saw Michelle, and knew instantly what she was looking at: the graves of Michelle's parents were not too far away from the pond.

"Is there something on your mind?" asked Cornelius.

"Do you think Mommy would be proud of me if I could swim?"

"Of course she would."

"But, how can I?" Michelle looked in dismay at Abigail as she completed another circuit in the pond. "I could never swim like that."

#

As time went on, Abigail continued to teach Michelle. Every day for four weeks, she would take Michelle to the pond and let her practice her strokes and kicks. Although Michelle still felt uncomfortable going out into the deepest parts of the pond, she still kept up her kicks and strokes with Abigail. As time went on, Michelle gradually became more able to keep herself afloat with Abigail's help.

However, that was until Abigail made a suggestion: "I think you're ready to try swimming by yourself."

Michelle whined softly. "Are you sure?"

She and Abigail stood in the shallows of the pond, the noonday sun shinning down on them like a spotlight.

"Come on, Michelle. You've done really well these past few weeks. It's time for you to try it."

"I don't know..."

"Don't worry. All you'll be doing is swim from one side of the pond to the other. I'll be swimming right beside you, so you'll be safe."

Michelle pursed her lips and eyed Cornelius on the shore.

Cornelius waved the backs of his hands at her, encouraging her to go on.

"All right, if you say so." Michelle walked toward the deep end, Abigail following close beside her. After taking a deep breath, she dove into the water and swam away.

Michelle and Abigail knew the risks of swimming out across the pond. The pond itself was over two feet deep in the center, enough for a furling to drown in.

As Michelle got closer to the center, she tried to keep herself on the surface. She kicked and paddled as hard as she could, but without Abigail's help, she could barely stay afloat. Even though she had her eyes open, everything seemed blurry underwater. She could not see where she was going, and as her lungs began to ach for air, she was having difficulty identifying which way was up. Her head briefly broke the surface, but before she could get enough air, she sank under like a rock. Michelle began to panic. She flailed her arms and legs wildly, desperate to get to the surface. With her vision blurred by the water, she could barely see the surface, and even if she did, she could not reach it.

Abigail grabbed her by the midsection and helped her to the surface.

Michelle inhaled some air as she frantically grabbed onto Abigail.

"How do you feel, Michelle?" asked Abigail.

"That was horrible," whined Michelle. "I thought I was going to drown."

"You know you have no chance of drowning while I'm around. You just need to remember to keep calm and remember what we practiced. I know you can do it. You just need to—"

"NO! I can't!"

Abigail could see the Michelle was on the verge of tears. Deciding not to push the issue, Abigail swam Michelle back to shore and agreed to end the lesson for today.

#

Abigail did not see Michelle until sundown. She found Michelle kneeling in front of her parents' grave. She had her head lowered to the ground as if she had been there crying the whole time, and she might have.

Abigail sat down next to Michelle. "I know you're struggling out there, but it is perfectly normal."

Michelle said nothing. She did not even lift her head to speak.

"When I was your age, my dad took me to that pond and taught me how to swim, and I can assure you that I had a hard time with it just like you did."

"It's not just that." When Michelle talked, her voice was low and somber. "I really wanted to make Mommy proud. She used to take me swimming, and she taught me everything I know, but I wasn't a strong swimmer, so I was afraid to go out into the deep end." She blinked rapidly as tears rolled out of her eyes. "She told me she wanted me to practice swimming so I would one day be able to swim in the deep end. But...then Mommy and Daddy..."

Abigail pulled out a handkerchief from her back pocket and wiped away Michelle's tears.

"I took swimming lessons...with you because I wanted...to make Mommy proud." Michelle quietly sobbed.

Abigail put her arm around Michelle and put her against her chest, allowing her to cry on her.

"You know," said Abigail, "I want to let you in on a little story. Remember when you were poisoned and me, Russell, and Edger went out to get medicine for you? When we first tried flying Cornelius's Flapper-Wing-A-Ma-Thing, I nearly fell off. If Edger hadn't saved me, I would have been killed."

Michelle pressed her head against the large button on Abigail's overalls. She said nothing, but she listened.

"Looking back, it was rather crazy of us to do that. We could have all been killed, but if we hadn't taken that risk, we wouldn't have gotten the lungwort for you."

"Why are you telling me this story?" asked Michelle.

"Lets just say that in order to get that lungwort, all I had to do was take a chance, hope for the best, and count on my friends to help me." Abigail got off of the ground. She ran a hand through the fur on Michelle's head, and walked away to let Michelle to ponder what Abigail told her.

Michelle stared at the graves. "Take a chance? Is that all I need to do?"

#

The next day, Michelle picked up her little backpack with the intent of playing in the playground. She grabbed her swimsuit off the clothesline where Cornelius hung it to dry the day before.

"Uncle Cornelius," said Michelle, "I'm going out to play and I'll be meeting Abigail at the pond for my swimming lesson."

"All right, Michelle, I'll be there at noon," called out Cornelius from his study.

Michelle ran off toward the playground, but along the way, she saw the pond. She stopped, remembering the story Abigail told her. Despite all doubts and trepidations that ran through her mind, she walked toward the pond. As usual, the water was clear and calm. She walked up to the shore, staring at it, indecisive of what to do next.

"I thought I might find you here."

Michelle jumped, startled by the sudden intrusion. To her surprise, she saw Abigail sitting next to a nearby tree.

"Abigail, what are you doing here?"

"I was hoping my story would convince you to come here by yourself. Since you're here, do you want to swim?"

Michelle hesitated to speak. She looked toward the trail she came from as if contemplating escape, but her feet stood firm on the ground.

Seeing Michelle's hesitation, Abigail got up from her seat and approached Michelle. She knelt down and said, "Just try, and I promise you won't regret it."

Michelle swallowed a painful lump in her throat. With a half-hearted look of determination in her eyes, she nodded.

The two girls changed into their swimsuits and approached the edge of the pond. When Michelle looked up at Abigail, she gave Michelle a confident nod and a smile, coaxing her to proceed

Michelle nervously stepped into the pond. She took a deep breath and dove into the water. Like before, she could barely keep her head above the surface. Her vision blurred under the water, but she pushed on, frantically keeping her head above the water. As she swam out toward the center of the pond, she began to panic again, but shear adrenaline took over. Rather that flail her arms and legs, she began to kick and stroke. Slowly, she rose to the surface, her head poking out into the air. She did not stop kicking, fighting to keep herself buoyant. She swam with all the strength her tiny body could muster.

Once her arms and legs grew tired, she felt herself begin to sink again, but this time, two hands grabbed her by the waist and held her up. Michelle looked up to see Abigail smiling proudly at her.

"Michelle, look behind you."

Michelle turned her head and saw that she was in the shallows on the other side of the pond from where she started. "Did I really swim that far?"

"I told you the swim is not as bad as it looked, and you did it by yourself."

Excited, Michelle wiggled out of Abigail's grasp and waded out of the water.

"Michelle, where are you going?" cried Abigail as she watched Michelle run off into the bushes. Abigail followed Michelle. She found her sitting in front of her parents' grave.

Michelle talked to the graves with so much joy and excitement. "Mommy, Daddy, I hope you're proud of me now. I can finally swim in deep water."

With a smile, Abigail sat down next to Michelle.

With the two girls sopping wet and only dressed in swimsuits, the air felt cold on their bodies, but a little sunlight helped warm them up.

Abigail huddled next Michelle. "You know, Michelle, we could continue these lessons all throughout the summer."

Michelle's face lit up. "Can we?"

"Oh yes. And I bet by autumn, you would be just as good at swimming as me."

"Really? Thank you, Abigail. I wouldn't have done it without your help." Michelle smiled, but not with her half-hearted smile like usual.

At long last, Abigail saw the cute twinkle in Michelle's eyes. "Now there is the smile I've been wanting to see."

**The End**


End file.
